Today in Dalit History we honor freedom fighter Uda Devi. While upper caste histories highlight the resistance contributions of upper caste heroines like Jhansi Rani, the reality is that the war for independence was won by Dalit and Bahujan resistance fighters like Uda Devi and Jhalkaribai. Uda Devi and her other Dalit sisters were the warriors or “Viranginis” of the 1857 Indian Rebellion against the British East India Company. These women were fierce independent fighters whose bravery inspires event till today.

Uda Devi was born in a small village in Awadh, Uttar Pradesh. Seeing the rising anger of the Indian people with the British administration, she reached out to Begum Hazrat Mahal to enlist for war. In order to prepare for the battle that was headed their way, the Begum helped her form a women’s battalion under her command. When the British attacked Awadh, both Uda Devi and her husband were part of the armed resistance. When she heard that her husband had become martyred in the battle, she unleashed her final campaign in full force.

After issuing instructions to her battalion, she climbed up a pipal tree and began shooting at advancing British soldiers. Her impact was so great that on November 16, 1857, a British officer noted that many of the British casualties had bullet wounds indicating steep, downward trajectory. Suspecting a hidden sniper, he ordered his officers to fire at the trees and dislodged a rebel who fell to the ground dead. Upon investigation, the sniper was revealed as Uda Devi .

More than a 150 years since her passing, the memory of Uda Devi’s sacrifice is kept alive by Dalit communities in Uttar Pradesh who cherish her as a model of fearless Dalit womanhood. To the spirit of independence and liberation we salute Uda Devi!